NC State Headed Towards ACHA Division 1 With The ACCHL Granted a Division 1 Conference

Perennial American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 power, The  NC State Icepack has been granted a path to join ACHA Division 1 for the 2025-2026 season, with the preliminary approval for the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League to add a Division 1 conference.  The ACHA and ACCHL reached a Memorandum of Understanding allowing core members: NC State University, University of Alabama, University of Louisville, and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to begin play in the ACHA Division 1, once the six-team conference requirement is met.  The ACCHL conference is focused on bringing together some of the biggest brands in college athletics in the south to compete at the highest level of non-NCAA college hockey in North America.

The ACCHL, along with NC State,  is charged with creating a conference whose members meet that mission and include the following parameters:

• Member of a “Power 5 Conference” with historical and current athletic success, making them an NCAA athletic brand name.
• The top team at their university, meaning there is no NCAA team.  
• Currently enjoys widespread fan support.

Head Coach Tim Healy is thrilled about what is to come with this new conference; “NC State fans, players, and alumni deserve a hockey program that competes at the highest level possible.  This is a big step and an important step for the Icepack. ACHA Division 1 is the highest level of collegiate hockey we can play, short of being a NCAA team.  The mission and direction of this conference will help grow hockey in Raleigh and the Southeast.  Of equal importance, the timing is right for us as we are ready to take on the challenge of jumping to ACHA Division 1.”

The Icepack has long been the center of college hockey growth in the South, with seminal events like Froze-Finley, which drew 26,000 to Carter-Finley Stadium last year.  Their strongest recruiting class ever and record-breaking season ticket sales for the upcoming season all point to why now is the time for the Icepack to make the jump.

The ACHA sees the formation of this conference as an essential part of its growth plan.  According to Executive Director, Craig Barnett, ““Current ACHA members University of Alabama and Liberty University are in that geographic location, so adding a new Men’s Division 1 league with ‘Power 5’ type members will enhance not only Men’s Division 1, but the ACHA as a whole. We are excited to follow the progress of this conference!”

According to ACCHL Commissioner Mike Walley, NC State will participate in a conference  “To showcase the highest levels of collegiate hockey in the Southeast, and in turn, will inspire an entire new generation of youth hockey players in non-traditional hockey areas who aspire to eventually be rostered on these exceptional  university ice hockey teams.”

According to Healy, meeting the six-team threshold will not be an issue as the league is already speaking to multiple teams about joining the conference. “As word of this conference has circulated amongst schools, we are speaking with a new team daily.  Adding teams is not a question; it is about adding the right teams to ensure this becomes the best conference in the ACHA. We also have the right four partners to start this journey.  This will be a great conference between the core four and the schools that have inquired."

For the players, this is a measure of the program's growth and is as much about the past as it is about the future.   Senior Alternate Captain Alex James said, “Moving up to Division 1 is important to me because it is a testament to all the hard work our players, coaches, and staff have put in over the years.”